Help for Mecca flooding victims

Riverside County has set up a flood-damage hotline in response to flooding in the Mecca area earlier this month, county officials said today. Residents and businesses in and around Mecca can call 211 to report damage caused by the flooding. About 30 county officials went to Mecca today totalk to people whose homes were damaged and assess their needs, according to a written county statement. On Sept. 11, heavy rains sent water and mud into the area, flooding homes, businesses and two schools and disabling the water system at Desert Mobile Home Park. "The damage caused by the rains, mud and debris is now being discovered as residents return to their homes," according to the county statement."The 211 system will be used to gather information and better gauge the extentof residential damage in the area." County officials and community have worked to provide temporary housing to some residents whose homes were damaged. Riverside County Fire Chief JohnHawkins said the hotline gives the community a one-stop place to reportproblems and ask questions. "It will also give us a tool to better assess the extent of the damage and determine the best way to allocate resources," he said.